You do not need your own shortlet website to get started. A proper booking website must show live dates, take payments safely, hold dates while a guest pays, and handle cancellations, refunds and caution deposits. Building all that takes real time and money, and a new site starts with no visitors.
For many hosts in Nigeria, a good listing that guests already search, plus one link to share everywhere, is the faster start. A website can come later. This guide shows what a site must do, what building one takes, and how to decide.
What a shortlet website must do
A shortlet website is not just a pretty page. If guests will book and pay on it, it has to do all of this, every day, without you watching:
- Show the home honestly: photos of every room, the area, what is included, and the house rules.
- Show live dates. A calendar that marks booked and closed nights, so two guests never get the same night.
- Show the full price: each night, busy-date prices, any cleaning fee, the caution deposit and any offers for longer stays.
- Take payment safely through a trusted payment provider, so guests never have to send a transfer to a stranger.
- Hold the dates while a guest pays, then release them if the payment never comes.
- Confirm the booking by email, with the dates, the address and the arrival steps.
- Handle cancellations and refunds by clear rules that guests see before they pay.
- Hold the caution deposit and return it after check-out, with a fair way to settle damage.
- Keep guest details and ID documents safe, as data protection law requires.
- Work well on a phone, because that is where many guests will open your link.
Miss one of these and you feel it fast: a double booking in December, a guest arguing about a refund, or a fake payment alert at the gate.
Building your own: what it takes
Plenty of hosts build a website, and some do well with it. Just go in knowing the whole job:
- A domain name and hosting, renewed every year.
- Design and building, from a template or a developer.
- A booking and calendar tool that stops double bookings, including bookings you take elsewhere.
- A payment provider account. Providers usually ask for your business details before they pay out, and they charge a fee on each payment.
- Your own rules for cancellations, refunds and deposits, and the time to carry them out.
- Upkeep: security updates, broken plug-ins, new photos and new prices.
- Getting found. A new site has no visitors. Search engines take time to trust it, so you will still need social media, adverts or word of mouth.
Your site also needs clear written terms: your cancellation and refund rules, your deposit rules, and a privacy notice that says how you keep guest details. A lawyer can help you word them.
We do not quote build prices, because they vary so much. Ask two or three developers for a written quote that covers the build, the first year of hosting and upkeep, and the renewals after that.
What about a shortlet app? For one host, it is rarely worth it. Few guests will download an app to book one flat. A page that works well in a phone browser does the same job.
What your own website is good for
A website is not wasted money for every host. It earns its place when you already have guests and a name. It helps you:
- Build a brand, especially if you run several flats under one name.
- Win repeat guests, who search for your name rather than an area.
- Serve companies, whose travel desks like a proper page to share with staff.
- Tell your story: who you are, how you look after guests, and what makes your flats different.
Even then, the site does not have to do the booking itself. It can show your brand and send guests to a listing that handles dates, payment and deposits. That keeps the site cheap to build and easy to run.
Using a booking platform instead
A booking platform is a site where many hosts list and guests book. It gives you the hard parts ready-made, in return for a fee or commission and its rules.
| Your own website | A booking platform | Social media only | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guests who find you | Only those you bring | People searching by area, plus those you bring | Your followers and their friends |
| Calendar and holds | You set them up | Built in | None; you track it yourself |
| Online payment | You set it up and pay its fees | Built in | Usually a bank transfer |
| Refunds and deposits | You handle them | Handled by the platform’s rules | You handle them |
| Your brand | Full control | Your listing, the platform’s look | Your page, the network’s rules |
| Cost | Build, hosting, upkeep, payment fees | A commission or fee on bookings | Your time |
Many hosts use more than one channel. Our guide to where to list a shortlet in Nigeria explains what to check before you choose a platform.
One link to share everywhere
Many shortlet enquiries start in a chat: “Is it free on Friday?”, “How much for three nights?”. A single page that answers those questions saves you hours. Your listing can be that page.
- Put the link in your Instagram bio and your WhatsApp Business profile.
- Add it to every flyer, caption and status post.
- Send it as your first reply to every enquiry.
- Print it as a QR code on a card inside the flat, for guests who want to come back.
Your Cabans listing as your booking page
On Cabans, your listing link can take the booking too. Tick “Take bookings online” on your listing. Guests then pick dates on your calendar, see a “Price Breakdown” with the nights, any discount, your cleaning fee and caution deposit, and pay securely online through Paystack. Their dates are held for 30 minutes while they pay.
You choose “Instant book”, or accept each paid request within your answer time. Cabans handles refunds, which reach guests within 14 days at most and usually in about 5 days. Cabans also holds the caution deposit, and its team decides any dispute. The guest pays Paystack’s payment fee on top, and sees it before paying. Cabans charges hosts a 5% commission. You are paid within 7 days after the stay, and sooner when the guest approves the payment after their trip.
Cabans does not link to other calendars, so if you take a booking elsewhere, block those nights yourself. Follow how to make your short let bookable online to set it up.
Take bookings online with Cabans and use your listing as the one link in every post.
Questions before you decide
Answer these honestly before you pay anyone to build a site:
- Where do my guests find me today, and would a website change that?
- Who will build the site, and who will fix it when it breaks on a Sunday night?
- How will new guests find the site?
- How will I take payments safely, and who handles refunds?
- How will I hold and return caution deposits, and settle damage fairly?
- How will I keep one calendar right across every place I advertise?
- What will the site cost each year, not just to build?
- Could I start with a listing now, and build a site once I have regular guests?
If most answers point to “not yet”, start with a listing and a link. When you are ready, a simple brand site can send guests to your listing to book. See how other hosts present their homes on Cabans shortlets, and read how to advertise a shortlet apartment for ways to bring guests to your link.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a website for my shortlet business?
Not to start. Guests often find shortlets by searching an area, on listing sites and through people they know. A listing with good photos, clear prices and one link you can share gets you going. A website can come later, once you have regular guests and a name people search for.
How much does it cost to build a shortlet website in Nigeria?
It depends on what it must do. A simple information page costs far less than a site with a live calendar, online payments and refunds. Ask two or three developers for a written quote that covers the build, the first year of hosting and upkeep, and the yearly renewals.
Do I need a shortlet app?
Almost certainly not. Few guests will download an app to book one host’s flat. A page that works well in a phone browser does the same job, for far less money and effort.
Can I take card payments on my own website?
Yes, through a payment provider. Providers usually ask for your business details before they pay money out to you, and they charge a fee on each payment. You then handle refunds, deposits and payment disputes yourself.
What should a shortlet website include?
Photos of every room, the area, the price per night and any fees, a calendar that shows free dates, secure online payment, your cancellation and caution deposit rules, house rules, and a way to reach you. It must also work well on a phone.
Can my own website send guests to my Cabans listing?
Yes. You can keep a simple website or social page for your brand, with a button that opens your listing. That way the listing handles the details, and your site tells your story.
What does Cabans charge hosts for bookings?
Cabans charges hosts a 5% commission on each booking. The guest pays Paystack’s payment fee when they pay, so it does not come out of your earnings. You are paid within 7 days after the guest’s stay, and sooner when the guest approves the payment after their trip.
Related guides
Where to list a shortlet in Nigeria · How to advertise a shortlet apartment · Shortlet flyer and caption ideas · How to start a shortlet business · Shortlet scam warning signs
Take the next step
Keep your research practical: search for property in Lagos, compare live options for properties in Lagos, or list your property on Cabans to reach active buyers and renters.
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